Graham warns GOP on 'purity'

The morning after Republicans lost an upstate New York House seat, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned that conservative activists will bring destruction to the Republican Party if they drive out moderate candidates across the country.

“To those people who are pursuing purity, you’ll become a club not a party,” Graham told POLITICO in the Capitol Wednesday. “Those people who are trying to embrace conservatism in a thoughtful way that fits the region and the state and the district are going to do well. Conservativism is an asset. Blind ideology is not.”

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Graham, who has sparred with his party’s right wing on issues ranging from climate change to Guantanamo Bay to Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court nomination, warned that those concerned about the state of the GOP should help find candidates who are electable — not ones who adhere to a particular type of ideology. And he said that both the GOP nominee, Dede Scozzafava and the conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman were both out of the mainstream of the upstate New York district – which lead to the victory of Democrat Bill Owens Tuesday night.

“If your goal is to make everybody just like you in terms of ideology, that’s a self-centered approach to politics,” Graham said.

Graham took issue with conservatives taking aim at Rep. Mike Castle (D-Del.), a moderate seeking Joe Biden’s old Senate seat next year, as well as conservatives looking to take out former businesswoman Carly Fiorina, the choice of Washington Republicans to challenge Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in next year’s election.

Graham’s South Carolina colleague, Jim DeMint, backed Chuck DeVore, a conservative California state assemblyman who is running against Fiorina.

“I understand why he’s attracted to the agenda of the candidate – I wish he would sit down and talk to Carly,” Graham said. “Carly is a good person – she’s a solid candidate. We’re lucky to have her running.

“But that’s Jim’s decision – I’m totally for Carly. I know her, I know she’s pro-life, good on taxes, she’s going to be a good solid — she’ll fit California well and be of assistance to mainstream conservativism.”